Sensational.
Unfortunately it’s another victim of the devastating floods and looking a bit eerie. River mud has buried much of the undergrowth and other than the water birds the only birds that seem to have thrived are the Noisy Miners. BH reckons it’s a bit like a Mad Max movie, with the Noisy Miners playing the role of the invasive bikie gangs. Going to take a while to recover.
anyone got budgies, any advice! we got 2 yesterday. they seem pretty timid. just settling in?
That’s sad to hear, such a lovely spot, apart from the mozzies there in summer which were as big as some of the birds.
It was a bit prone to flooding when we lived there, so can imagine it wouldn’t be good.
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This is how you deal with those darned mozzies.
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*191 Bell Miner – Stumpy Gully Road, Balnarring, today. Junior’s getting bigger and still squawking for a feed in the lower branches of a local gum tree, which is good because it meant BH got a clear shot of a bird which is regularly heard but not seen, except in the CBD’s Botanical Gardens.
PS 111 for the Mornington Peninula, the Nelson number no less.
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Stayed at Etty Bay last night and this magnificent creature wandered through the park then headed up into the forest.
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197 Rufous Whistle Bird – Blanket Bay, Cape Otway
198 Flame Robin (Female) – Cape Otway
199 Pink Robin – Cape Otway Lighthouse carpark. Safe to say BH was tickled Magenta over this, one of the rarer robins and top of the trip’s wish list.
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#200 Beautiful Firetail - Aire River Campground, Cape Otway. BH was very pleased to score this lifer for the milestone.
The trip West also produced this fetching pic of a pair of Brolgas from the Western Treatment Plant.
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#204, Glossy Black Cockatoo - The Pines Flora and Fauna Reserve, Frankston.
OK, I know I posted already today but this is a big one, possibly bigger than the 200. We’re back home from Cape Otway and BH is off to see her Mum in Carrum Downs. So I say, Going anywhere else, Dear? She says no, I don’t believe her. I was right. After visiting her Mum, she headed for the Pines Reserve in Frankston in futile pursuit of the Glossy Black Cockatoo, as she has, not once, not twice, but 17 times (I’ve been with her maybe 12 times and frankly I’m over it, traipsing over the many hills, staring off into the scrub aimlessly, it seems, but this is the real birder stuff, which is ten steps too far for me) Now you’d think after posting 200, in May no less, she could do with a break in her 7th decade. But no, off she went again in pursuit of a bird I’ve told her is a myth.
This time she was right.
18th visit and finally she got it.
PS Used to see them in Mallacoota but they haven’t been back since the fires burnt out their She- Oak forest area. Three have relocated to Frankston, of all places, but there are heaps of She-Oaks there.
So glad we don’t have to go back for a while. Also wish I’d seen it.
PPS Her birder site went wild when she posted so there’ll be a herd of birders out there tomorrow, only a handful of sightings this year. Ebird’s only sightings this year have been in Frankston. Maybe they are the only ones left in the State after the bush fires wiped out their Eastern Gippsland She-Oak habitat.
PPPS BH only saw one today and she quietly stalked it for nearly 30 minutes after the first sighting. Hopefully the other 2 are nearby.
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#Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Cranbourne. Not your everyday sparrow (that’s the House Sparrow). BH has been after this little scamp for the best part of 2 years.
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If I had a slug gun and it wasn’t illegal…
This doco had some interesting stuff on noisy miners. Especially how their displacement of other birds (that are much more efficient at removing the bugs that make keeps) can actually lead to the demise of big eucalypts. An arborist we got in to advise about two spotted gums told us lots of established trees in our area had carked it in the last few years. Other good stuff from Werribee and the penguins, and some powerful owls. Worth a look iMO!
I thought Indian mynas, the introduced species, were the problem.
Noisy miners are incredibly aggressive. I’ve seen the gang up on and attack bigger birds, and once they predominate, with their preferred habitat of tall trees and openish gardens, they just push all the small birds and even some not so small birds out. I never see wattle birds around Eltham, and certainly not smaller honeyeaters, wrens, finches etc.
Cape Barren geese I’m fairly sure.
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Get changed into your wettie at Cat Bay and they’ll be waddling around and honking. Somewhere between comical and majestic.